The present invention relates to distributing digital goods electronically over a networked computer system.
Suppliers of large digital products, such as software applications, may choose to distribute the products on physical media, such as CD-ROMs, rather than making the products available for download over a networked computer system. While downloading the digital product may be more convenient for a customer, the network environment may not provide adequate reliability and security measures for such transactions.
For an electronic distribution system to be efficient, the system must ensure that the digital product delivered to a customer is complete and uncorrupted, and that the digital product is not intercepted by unauthorized parties during the delivery. An electronic distribution that ensures reliable and secure delivery of digital products may have several advantages over traditional, physical distribution systems. For example, material costs and costs associated with the manufacturing, packaging, transportation and storing of the packaged digital media may be avoided, and these cost savings can be enjoyed by both the supplier and the customers.